Bounds for the sample size in performance
testing of combinatorial algorithms

by Vesa P. Vaskelainen and Vesa Riihimaki.

Abstract:
The performance of combinatorial algorithms is often evaluated by using
the computational times of a certain number of inputs. The run times of algorithms
with certain type of data appear in computational results as the mean of a small sample.
Still the choice of sample size is rarely based on the distribution of run times.
In this work we use statistical tests to compare the performance of combinatorial
algorithms. Furthermore, we determine confidence intervals for the run times of
combinatorial algorithms. As a consequence, we get easy-to-use bounds of sample size
for justifying the accuracy of computational results.